Can you hear that?
No, you probably can’t. But I can.
Tinnitus: ringing or buzzing in the ears.
That definition just does not do it justice in my case.
A concentration-shattering, perpetual whistling, more like. A shrill, hissing, sibilant, headache-inducing screeching that eases off to a whispering susurration at times.
Or maybe you can hear it. Continue reading
It’s a sunny day here in Luxembourg. The heatwave has eased, the rain has stopped, and it’s perfect weather for sitting out on the patio and pouring thoughts and words into my laptop.
I started looking through my Scrivener folder of “Unfinished Works“. More accurately, it should be called, “Started and Stalled“.
Some authors struggle to find ideas. I’m of the other type: story ideas constantly tumble through my mind, especially when I’m in the middle of redrafting a story. (I HATE redrafting.) So I type out a few notes in my “Unfinished Works” folder and get back to the task in hand.
(It also happens when I’m swimming, which is a terrible time to get an idea as my iPhone is not waterproof!)
Every now and again, I look through my Unfinisheds to see if there’s anything worth developing. It’s usually an unfulfilling task. I find sketches, first lines or paragraphs, or even whole chapters that lead nowhere I can follow – yet. Worse, I find the plots of movies and novels released AFTER I noted down the original idea. I really wish I had one of those author mind-reading gadgets! Continue reading
Here we go again, sliding past the year’s halfway point – the longest day (or the shortest day if you’re Down Under).
The Earth just clocked-up another 470 million km (282 million miles) – a half orbit of the sun – since a cold and snowy December 31st. And what’s changed? Continue reading
Greetings from Luxembourg, where the early morning snow has melted away (just like 2019 is doing).
(The photo is of the city looking beautiful in deep winter: we only had a scattering of snowflakes this morning and this looks much prettier.)
Wake up call!
Almost twenty percent of the year is already lost in the in the mists of memory. We should all make the most of the remaining months before they slip away too.
So do I take my own advice? Er… Does anyone? Continue reading
It’s been a while since I blogged. No, it wasn’t the longest coffee break ever. To be honest, I’ve had enough medical, legal, and dentistry distractions to set me back more than a few months, but I’m bouncing back!
Anyway, I had to put my writing and publication on hold, and build up a backlog of analytical responses for my online crit groups. (Apologies, fellow critters.)
But what a time to climb back in the saddle! Continue reading
In my previous post, I dangled some “click bait” about how I was over-committed, then offered only a cliffhanger. My bad.
Seriously, I found myself in a time bind over the last few months… Continue reading
Had a great time at the UK’s annual Sci-Fi and Fantasy Convention (Follycon) in Harrogate. Met some old friends and made some new ones. Learned a lot and had a few new ideas sparked. Delighted to say that my friend David Allan got his first publishing contract. Congrats, David!
The final part of my sci-fi trilogy (Janus Arrival: Journey’s End) was released on April 1st and sales are very satisfying. I’m already at work on my next book. Continue reading
Wait! This is not turning into a cat-thread. It’s a one-off, I swear! Let me explain…
We’re currently looking after a cat for one of our daughters but had to spend Christmas in the UK. So we asked a friend to cat-sit. After a few days, text messages began to arrive from the cat. Clearly, she was writing a diary and sending it to us, her “pride.” I share these with you…
I love words. Hey, I’m a writer: if I didn’t love words, I’d be a censor, a redactor of government documents who gets his kicks from defacing them.
I love the truth in words. If I didn’t, I’d be a politician or still working in marketing.
Sounds shaped into words are the basics of spoken language. The purpose of language is communication. (Okay, Groot in “Guardians of the Galaxy” communicates with a single word, his name, its specific meaning conveyed by varying emphasis. Special case. He’s a fictional plant. Forget about it.) Continue reading
Turning Worlds
So much catching up to do now my I’m back home! The world just keeps on turning, even if I’m not watching it. (Quantum physicists are invited to comment below on that observation.)
Distribution Channels
My novels’ distribution network continues to grow effortlessly! I use the Mention app to notify me if my name or my book titles appear on anyone’s web pages. No, it’s not an ego issue, it’s… professional… market awareness… all that stuff.
Anyway, Mention notified me that while I was on vacation, Continue reading
